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From Pottery to Tattoos: Fort Collins Tattoo Artist Sabrina Tassoni Finds Her Voice in Bold, Feminine Ink
- Aimee Heckel
- Oct 2
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 4
On a Friday evening in Fort Collins, the line at Solana Tattoo Company stretched out the door. It was Flash Friday, the shop’s once-a-month special flash event. Somewhere in that line stood Sabrina Tassoni, fresh off a shift at work, waiting for a piercing.
The second time Sabrina stepped through Solana’s doors was for another Flash Friday. But on her third visit, she wasn’t there as a client. She carried a portfolio and a dream that had lived inside her since she was a teenager: She wanted to be a tattoo artist.
Today, Sabrina’s books are consistently full. She’s part of the newest generation of female tattoo artists in Fort Collins, helping to shape the city’s creative culture. Sabrina is leading the way with her unique, feminine spin on classic American traditional tattoo style. And she says the reality of this new life as a successful tattoo artist still feels surreal.
“By 12 or 13 I knew I wanted a lot of tattoos,” she says. “It occurred to me that tattooing might be a good fit.
"It sounded like the greatest job anyone could ever have.”
A Life in Art
Sabrina has been creating for as long as she can remember. As a child, she loved to follow online tutorials for manga and anime, filling sketchbooks with faces, fashion, and fantasy. By high school, she was all in. Her AP art class was where she pushed her skills in charcoal and graphite.
“I always knew I wanted to do something creative professionally,” she said. “My family supported me, but it was also clear it would be a difficult path compared to going into something like STEM.”
After graduation, she chose a different route. Sabrina worked as a line cook, but it never felt right. Then, a pottery class changed everything.
“I fell in love with it,” she says. “People were making a living off pottery, and I thought maybe that could be me.”
From Clay to Skin
Pottery soon consumed her life. For seven years, she built a business around it, creating functional pieces such as mugs, bowls, and vases while teaching classes at a studio in Illinois. Her designs stood out; she covered her ceramics in traditional tattoo-inspired illustrations.
“I joked that I got good at drawing on curved surfaces because I was putting tattoos on mugs,” she says.
When her favorite ceramic artist in Colorado offered her a chance to work in his studio, Sabrina jumped. She packed up, left Illinois, and moved to Fort Collins. But just six months later, the studio closed, and she was out of a job.
She was forced to ask herself how she wanted to build a sustainable life as an artist. The answer, she realized, had always been with her. She had been tattooed since age 16; her first tattoo was a Twenty One Pilots lyric tattoo, accidentally done upside down on her wrist.
“I don’t recommend doing that,” she says with a laugh. “But it was music-related, and that’s still one of my favorite kinds of tattoos to do.”
It was time to take tattooing seriously.
The Apprenticeship
Apprenticeships are notoriously tricky to land, and Sabrina experienced that firsthand.
“I had spent years asking people about apprenticeships, but it never felt like the right connection,” she says.
Then, a friend getting tattooed at Solana mentioned her struggles. The artist suggested she talk to Matt, the shop manager known for his teaching. Over the years, Matt had successfully trained multiple apprentices who went on to become great tattoo artists.
Sabrina already knew Solana tattoo studio in Fort Collins from her Flash Friday visits, so she gathered her portfolio and went in.
“The first time I met Matt, he could see I was serious,” she says. “He ran me through what an apprenticeship would look like.
“I left Solana feeling like I was dreaming. For years it felt so elusive, and suddenly it was real.”
Her apprenticeship began in September 2023. At 25, she was a little older than many starting tattooers, but she saw that as an advantage. She brought years of bartending experience with her, which helped her connect with clients and put them at ease. She threw herself into the work, eventually quitting her job at the bar so she could dedicate herself entirely to tattooing.
Her apprenticeship lasted about a year — a demanding pace that reflected her commitment.
“I took my apprenticeship very seriously,” she says. “It was a big risk, but it paid off.”
Pottery’s Lessons
Though she (mostly) left the wheel behind, pottery shaped Sabrina’s tattooing in ways she never expected.
“The wheel moves fast, but you move slow,” she says. “With tattooing, the machine moves fast, but your hand has to move steadily. Both are about rhythm and getting your body and your equipment to work together.”
She describes the process of centering clay as similar to pulling a perfect line with a tattoo machine.
“Centering is the hardest thing to do on the wheel — forcing the clay to the exact middle so it’s perfectly aligned. But once you hit it, it feels relaxing, almost meditative. Tattooing feels like that, too. When your speed, depth, and stretch are just right, it clicks,” she says.
Even the unpredictability of both arts resonates with her. Just as glaze transforms in the kiln, tattoos change as they heal in the skin.
“You can prepare all you want, but there’s always a little magic in how it turns out,” she says.
A Feminine Spin on Tradition
Sabrina’s work is rooted in American traditional tattooing, but she gives it a distinctive voice. She loves bold lines, crisp details, and saturated colors, but filters them all through what clients often call her “feminine spin.”
“I like it when people describe it as creepy-cute,” she says. “It’s delicate, but also a little edgy.”
She thrives on projects like pin-up girls and big cats. Patchwork sleeves are another favorite, along with anything inspired by music.
“Some of my favorite artwork is inspired by bands or songs,” she says. “It’s fun to interpret those ideas in a way that’s artistic and thoughtful.”
Her flash (pre-drawn) sheets, which she labors over as carefully as her drawings and paintings, are often deeply personal.
“A lot of it is inspired by whatever I’m going through,” she says. “It’s always meaningful when other people connect with it.”
The Client Experience
For Sabrina, tattooing is about more than the art. It’s also about trust.
“I always strive to teach people to advocate for themselves,” she says. “I’ve gotten tattooed enough times to know how it can go, ending up with something you don’t really want or not feeling comfortable. I don’t ever want my clients to feel like that.”
Her approach is simple: Listen first, design second. Every consultation is about collaboration, and every session is grounded in respect.
“The last thing anyone needs to worry about is upsetting me or people-pleasing around me,” she says. “I’m just here to guide them through the process.”
Beyond the Machine for This Fort Collins Tattoo Artist
Away from the studio, Sabrina lives with the same passion and creativity she brings to her work. Here are some fun, little facts about Sabrina:
Played roller derby for five years and hopes to return to it
Passionate about weightlifting and staying active
Former vegan, still loves cooking and experimenting with food
Cat mom to two: Bopbop, age 9, and a kitten named Meatloaf
Big music fan, especially emo and pop-punk bands
Loves traveling, going to concerts, and taking herself out to eat
Favorite local hangouts include Jaws Sushi, The Whiskey, and anywhere she can grab a great burger
Sabrina in her tattoo studio. Photo by BAM Photography
Book Your Tattoo Consultation in Fort Collins
From pottery wheels to tattoo machines, Sabrina Tassoni has built a career on persistence, passion, and a love for art that lasts. She has quickly become one of the best tattoo artists in Fort Collins, creating pre-drawn flash and custom tattoos in Fort Collins that reflect her thoughtful approach and unique, bold style.
Schedule a free tattoo consultation in Fort Collins at Solana Tattoo Company and work with Sabrina to bring your artistic dreams to life. After all, that’s the life she lives.
